The subject invention relates to electric switching device assembly systems, including methods of assembling electric switching devices with panels and electric terminals, and assemblies including electric switching devices with panels and electric terminals.
Some forty years ago, James D. Cunningham designed an electrical connector at Consolidated Electrodynamics Corporation. As apparent from his U.S. Pat. No. 3,059,216, issued Oct. 16, 1962, that electrical male or female connector had a snap-in connector assembly comprising a spring retainer having a plurality of projecting fingers engaging an internal shoulder of an insulating block.
Variations of that principle are apparent from, or in some form may be seen in sundry connectors, terminals and assemblies, such as seen in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,078,439, by McKee et al, issued Feb. 19, 1963, 3,311,866, by Robert L. Williamson, issued Mar. 28, 1967, 3,957,337, by Ralph R. Damiano, issued May 18, 1976, 4,333,703, by Anhalt et al, issued Jun. 8, 1982, 4,591,222, by Howard R. Shaffer, issued May 27, 1986, 4,655,526, by Howard R. Shaffer, issued Apr. 7, 1987, 4,701,004, by Brent D. Yohn, issued Oct. 20, 1987, 4,707,050, by Alfred Konnemann, issued Nov. 17, 1987, 5,131,873, by Gierut et al, issued Jul. 21, 1992, 5,147,227 by Garold M. Yurko, issued Sep. 15, 1992, 5,366,391, by Werner Deiss, issued Nov. 22, 1994, 5,556,292, by Kato et al, issued Sep. 17, 1996, 5,588,852, by Dean A. Puerner, issued Dec. 31, 1996, and Des. 337,990, by John O. Wright, issued Aug. 3, 1993.
Yet despite a wealth of prior art, terminal panels for plug-in type of high-current electric switching devices, such as circuit breakers, have continued to necessitate manual assembly of electrical conductors at terminal panels, using heavy wires and terminal implements such as ring lugs for screw terminals. In such installations, movement of heavy wires can loosen screw terminals, which degrades electric conductance through such terminals, generates excessive heat from electric currents flowing therethrough, and exposes the installation to danger of malfunction and even fire. Wrenches and screw drivers needed in hand wiring at such terminal panels with prior-art plug-in receptacles during manual assembly can short out power busses, and screws and lock washers can fall and can also short out power busses at terminal panels, thereby causing further malfunction and even bodily injury. Concurrently, existing snap-in connector technology has not been adequate for heavy-current applications where heat generation has to be kept at a minimum.
It is a general object of the invention to provide improved methods of assembling electric circuit breakers herein sometimes referred to as, switching devices with power panels and electric terminals.
It is a related object of the invention to provide improved assemblies including electric switching devices with power panels and electric terminals.
Other objects become apparent in the further course of this disclosure.
The subject invention resides in a method of assembling an electric circuit breaker with an electric terminal and a power panel having a first side at said electric circuit breaker and second side at said electric terminal, and, more specifically, resides in the improvement comprising, in combination, equipping that electric circuit breaker with a prong, making a receptacle for that prong, equipping that receptacle with an external catch for a detent, and equipping the power panel with an aperture having a detent for the catch, connecting a flexible electric conductor to that receptacle at a safe distance from the power panel and connecting the flexible electric conductor to the electric terminal, and inserting the receptacle into the aperture from the second side of the power panel until the catch catches the detent.
The electric circuit breaker is assembled with the power panel by insertion of the prong into the receptacle.
From a related aspect thereof, the subject invention resides in a method of assembling an electric circuit breaker with first and second electric terminals and a power panel having a first side at the electric circuit breaker and second side at the second electric terminal, and, more specifically, resides in the improvement comprising in combination, equipping the electric circuit breaker with spaced first and second prongs, making a first receptacle for the first prong in the first electric terminal, making a second receptacle for the second prong, equipping that second receptacle with an external catch for a detent, equipping the power panel with an aperture having a detent for that catch, connecting a flexible electric conductor to that second receptacle at a safe distance from the power panal and first electric terminal and connecting the flexible electric conductor to the second electric terminal, and inserting that second receptacle into the aperture from the second side of the power panel until the catch catches the detent.
The electric circuit breaker is assembled with the power panel by insertion of the first and second prongs into the first and second receptacles.
The sequence of features given in this summary and in the corresponding method claims represent the currently conceived best mode, but the broad scope of the invention is not necessarily limited to such sequence unless otherwise indicated hereinafter.
The subject invention also resides in an assembly including an electric switching device, an electric terminal and a power panel having a first side at that electric switching device and an opposite second side at the electric terminal, and, more specifically, resides in the improvement comprising, in combination, a prong projecting from the switching device, a receptacle of that prong in an aperture of the power panel, a releasable catch on that receptacle and a corresponding detent in the aperture, and a flexible electric conductor between that receptacle and the electric terminal.
From a related aspect thereof, the subject invention resides in an assembly including an electric switching device, first and second electric terminals and a power panel having a first side at the electric switching device and an opposite second side at the second electric terminal, and, more specifically, resides in the improvement comprising, in combination, spaced first and second prongs projecting from that switching device, a first receptacle of the first prong in the first electric terminal, a second receptacle of the second prong in an aperture of the power panel, a releasable catch on the second receptacle and a corresponding detent in the aperture, and a flexible electric conductor between the second receptacle and the second electric terminal.
Such assemblies may be made by the methods herein disclosed of the invention and its embodiments.